Delivering and receiving mechanism for parcels



No. 625,244. Patented Nay l6, I899.

w. BRITAIN, In.

DELIVERING AND RECEIVING MECHANISM FOR PARCELS.

(Application filed Aug. 19, 1898.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

Patented May-l6, I899. W. BRITAIN, In. DELIVERING AND RECEIVINGMECHANISM FOR PARCELS.

(Application filed Aug. 19, 1898.)

2 Shear-Sheet 2.

r 1., IIII I I 7/57/47- (No Model.)

UNITED STATES \VILLIAM BRITAIN, J R.,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

DELIVERING AND RECEIVING MECHANISM FOR PARCELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 625,244, dated May 16,1899.

' Application filed August 19,1898. Serial No. 689,034. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM BRITAIN, Jr., manufacturer, a subject of theQueen of Great Britain, residing at Muswell Hill, London, Middlesexcounty, England, have invented certain new Improvements in Deliveringand Receiving Mechanism for Parcels, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention is to enable parcels of the most fragile description to besafely deposited at any prearranged spot by a railway-train traveling atany speed and likewise to enable a railway-train traveling at any speedto receive parcels from a fixed structure with equal safety.

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevationof a railroad-car fitted with this mechanism. Fig. 2 is a seetional planview thereof. Figs. 3 to 7 are detail views of parts, and Figs. 8 to 14show further details of the construction and modifications thereofhereinafter more particularly referred to.

I will first describe the mechanism necessary for delivering parcelsfrom a train in motion onto a fixed platform or into a net. The othermechanism is then practically the same thing reversed.

Along one side of a railway-carriage, by preference next the floor, Imake a-reoess A of a size suitable to take the parcels to be dealt with,wide enough in plan to entirely conceal the parcel at the front end B ofthe carriage, and diminishing to nothing at or near the back end 0 ofthe carriage, with rails or runners D of any suitable description or anyother attachment to guide the parcel along the recess and keep it fromleaving the carriage until it arrives at the required position.

Near the back end 0 of the carriage and geared in any suitable manner tothe wheels or wheel-axle E of the carriage I make a f usee F, consistingof a spiral groove around a cone, the spiral starting exactly at theapex and increasing in radius by equal amounts through equal anglesuntil it reaches the base, the number of revolutions being arranged sothat the length of cord or the like G necessary to fill the spiral willjust measure from the apex of the cone to the forward end of the recessA, and I gear the fusee F to the carriagewheels in such position thatwhen they are in motion together the maximum radius of the spiral hasthe same linear velocity as the tires of the wheels. Then I make asuitable connection between the parcel H to be delivered and one end ofa cord, strap, chain, or other flexible band G and place the parcel H inthe recess A at the front end B of the carriage. Then at orbya fixedpoint J on the line above, below, or at one side of the carriage I (bypreference automatically) connect the other end of the cord G to theapex of the spiral of the fusee F, which immediately begins Winding upthe cord, drawing the parcel with increasing speed toward the rear end 0of the carriage until the spiral is full. The parcel has then reachedthe end of the recess A and is moving at the same speed compared to thecarriage as thecarriage is compared to the earth, but in the oppositedirection, so that compared to any fixed structure the parcel isstationary. The cord then detaches itself from the parcel, and theparcel being now projected beyond the side of the carriage drops onto aplatform or net placed to receive it. The fusee F is then ungeared fromthe carriage-wheels and the cord G unwound and set ready for the nextdelivery.

. I do not confine myself to any particular mechanism for gearing thecord to the fusee and forattaching it to and detaching it from theparcel, but the following is suitable: One end of cord G carries a ringor loop g, and on the back of the parcel H is a hook or dog it toreceive said loop. The other end of the cord G is passed loosely up ahollow spindle or tube 9' and is knotted over or otherwise fastened toor above a washer g capable of revolving on the upper end of tube g,thus permitting this end of the cord to revolve when the fusee engagesthe cord. The tube g is held suspended by a lever-gear g and catch 9 thelatter hooked upon a hook g, which lies in the path of the projection J,so as to be struck thereby and moved to release the catch 9 andlever-gear g and so permit the tube 9 to fall and bring the cord withinthe path of the hook-like end g of the spiral on the fusee. At the baseof the fusee is a part disk f. The rodv f carries a finger f which isupheld by the disk f and only per- I mits the lever-gear g to fall whenthe disk f is in such position that it no longer upholds the finger fthe fusee being then in proper rotary position to grasp the cord G. Asthe cord G is wound up it draws the parcel H along the recess A until itis at or near the rear end of the recess, when the cord will be broughtinto such a position that it makes an increasing angle with the parceluntil it slips oi the hook or dog It, leaving the parcel II free toleave the recess A.

K is a clutch, and K a lever ending in a handle K for engaging the fuseeto and disengaging it from the wheel-axle.

I will now describe the necessary apparatus for collecting when theparcel is to be received through the roof of the carriage, which Iconsider the best place to receive it, although it must be understoodthat similar mechanism .may be worked on either side of the carriage oreven, if necessary, below.

I make a fusee L as before, not geared to the carriage-wheels, but soarranged that it can be automatically so gearedfor instance, by a clutchM. This I place at the front end of the carriage near the roof and windthe necessary length of cord N around to fill it and make the end of thecord (from the large part of the fusee L) to terminate in a ring orother suitable attachment 1]., Fig. 14, to stand above thecarriage-roof, supported in a suitable collapsible structure O, so thatwhen the ring is pulled backward it collapses the support 0 and isreleased. At the position where the parcel H is to be taken I erect astructure over the line, carrying a longitudinal trammel P to hold theparcel H in such a way that a hook or other projection h, attached underthe parcel, may project below through the entire length of the trammelP, and I place the parcel II in the back end of the tramm'el, (as thetrain goes,) with the hook below it, the point of the hook pointingbackward. hen the train passes, the ring n, projecting above the frontend of the carriage, catches on the hook h on the parcel H and isdetached fromits support, which in falling gears the fusee .to thecarriage-wheels, which causes the fusee to start paying out the cord Nat the same speed as the carriage is traveling and continues to pay outthe cord N, or rather allows it to be drawn out,with diminishingvelocity until the fusee is empty. The parcel has then attained the samespeed as the train and slides out of the trammel P and dropsthrough anorifice Q in the roof of the carriage at the rear end, where it may berevceived in a net R or hang on the cord, as deat its end a hook 0 Whenthe plate 0 is raised, as in full lines in Fig. 13, the hook 0 supportsthe arm 1/ hinged to the fusee L, and maintains said arm 1 against thepressure of the spring M so that the block M at the end of arm M doesnot come in contact with the friction-pulley M". This pulley M, with theblock M constitutes the clutch M before referred to. When the ring itbecomes engaged to the hook on the parcel, the pressure of the latterturns the plate 0 into the position shownin dotted lines in Fig. 13, soas to withdraw the hook O permitting the arm M to move so that'its blockM engages the friction clutch-pulley M and is carried around therewith,thus revolving the fusee L.

In the foregoing description it is assumed that to each parcel deliveredone will be col' lected, or thereabout. Otherwise the carriage mighthave to start loaded with the necessary fittings to attach to theparcels to be delivered or might become crowded with them if all thework were collecting.

I have described the fusee constructed in what I consider the bestmanner for the purpose; but circumstances may arise where a modificationis desirablesu-ch, forinstance, as the employment of a thick strap totake the place of the cord and to be wound around a small spindle andheld between suitable guides, so that the strap itself as it is woundforms a continuously-increasing disk and so makes the necessary spiralas it is required, or, again, a chain may be used in the same Way, andif the thickness of the chain is not enough to produce a suificientlyrapid in crease inradius it may be fitted with projec-- tions along oneor both sides to produce'the necessary increase. In fact,-anychain,strap, or cord may be provided with projections to produce theefiect of thickening, providing the spindle is properly designed toreceive it. Figs. 1O, 11, and 12 show such a strap G to be wound upon acentral boss G of the shape of the commencing part of a spiral andmounted between two plates G G in-order to retain the strap in one planewhile it is wound on the boss G Along'the strap G are fixed, by rivets Gblocks G6 of such shape, Fig. 12, that when wound up with the strap theycause the latter to follow a spiral course.

In the event of usinga modification of this description I should makethe spindle to stand still until the time arrived to start the parceland then gear it to the wheels as quickly as the weight of the partspermitted. To do this, it is desirable to have means for automaticallyoperating this from under the car. If G is the shaft carrying the reelformed by too IlO

the plates G G and boss G and G is a bev- On the sleeve G9 is also thebeveled wheel G, which by the movement of said sleeve may be broughtinto or from engagement with beveled wheel G On the lever G is adownwardly-directed finger G, which at the appropriate m'oment meets theoblique bar G fixed in the track, and is moved thereby, so as to rockthe lever G and bring the wheels G and G into engagement in order thatthe strap G may be wound up by the rotary movement derived from thecar-axle E.

I claim as my invention in a parcel delivering or receiving mechanism 1.The combination with a railroad-car of means for moving a parcel fromrest and uniformly accelerating said motion until it approximates to thespeed of the car.

2. The combination with a railroad-car of means for moving a parcel fromrest and uniformly accelerating said motion until it approximates to thespeed of the car, the direction of movement of said parcel beingrectilinear and at an acute angle to the direction of movement of thecar.

3. The combination with a railroad-car of means for moving a parcel fromrest in said car and for accelerating said motion at a rateautomatically determined by the speed of the car so that it approximateswithin a given distance to the speed of the car but in a directioncontrary to the direction of movement of the car and then deliveringsaid parcel from the car.

4. The combination with a railroad-car of a trammel adapted to guide aparcel in a direction substantially longitudinal to the car, and meansfor engaging a parcel in the trammel, moving it from rest with arectilinear motion uniformly accelerated at a rate automaticallydetermined by the speed of the car so that it is finally discharged fromthe tram mel at a speed equal to the speed of movement of the car.

5. The combination with a railroad-car of a trammel adapted to guide aparcel in a direction substantially longitudinal to the car, a rotaryfusee having a spiral groove commencing at its apex, means forconnecting the fusee with the car-wheels to be revolved therewith a cordmeans for engaging the cord to the fusee at the apex thereof, and anattachment for connecting the cord to the par-- cel. .v

6. The combination with a railroad-car of a trammel extending from thefront end of the car toward the rear end thereof forming a recesstapering rearward in the car, a ro= tary fusee having a spiral groove, acord, means for engaging the cord to the fusee at the apex thereof andan attachment for connecting the cord to the parcel.

In witness whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo witnesses.

WV. BRITAIN; JR.

YVitnesses:

R. HADDAN, A. E. METHUISH.

